How to Clean Trojans From a Computer

Remove Trojans from your computer.

Trojans are programs that attempt to look legitimate, but hide malicious software that is released on your computer once you download and install them. Their name comes from the Greek story of the Trojan Horse, which fits, considering the crafty way that these malicious programs wreak havoc on your computer. If you've been infected with a Trojan, you can use some free software programs to remove it.

Things You'll Need

• Internet connection

Instructions

1. Restart your computer and boot it into Safe Mode, which will make it easier to remove the Trojans. Safe Mode starts your computer with the minimum required drivers and applications needed. You can get into Safe Mode by tapping the "F8" key as your computer boots up, until you see the Windows Boot Menu. Select "Safe Mode with Networking" and press "Enter."

2. Open a Web browser once your computer has finished booting. Download an anti-malware program such as Malwarebytes, Spybot Search & Destroy or Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool. (See "Resources.") All these programs are free for personal use, and can be used to remove Trojans from your computer. Once you download the EXE file for your program of choice, double click it to install the software on your computer.

3. Open the software and click "Update" to download the latest malicious software definitions for the program.

4. Click the "Scan" button to start scanning your computer for malicious software, including Trojans. Once the scan is complete, you will be given an option to remove the malicious software, which you should do. Once the malicious software has been removed, restart your computer and allow it to boot normally.

References

• Bleeping Computer: Remove Trojans and Malware
• Remove Virus: Removing Viruses and Trojans

Resources

• Malwarebytes: Download
• Spybot Search & Destroy: Download
• Microsoft: Malicious Software Removal Tool Download